Once in a Blue Moon
by Northern Crosswind
Summary: Things start to go terribly wrong for Percy after the war. With his emotions in turmoil after witnessing Annabeth cheat on him with another demigod, he runs off to the Niagara Falls. Seeking solace in the form of death, he plunges into a deep dive into the water. A Titaness thought to be forgotten finds his broken form and brings him into her home. What does she want from Percy?


The sharp pains in his chest and the burning sensations in his eyes wouldn't cease. Tears cascaded down his face as he ran deeper and deeper into the wilderness. He couldn't believe what he saw, yet neither could he deny it.

_How could she?_ Was the only thought in his mind as he hacked and slashed through hordes of monsters who had happened to pick up on his irresistible Big Three scent. Anger and hurt fueled his being as he made the earth tremble underneath his feet and as rain drenched the area in sheets of water. A hurricane literally plowed from Long Island to the Canadian border, leaving behind a path of devastation in its wake along with a faint trail of golden dust. Houses and buildings were mysteriously untouched, but trees and power lines were uprooted from the ground and ended up a few yards from their original positions. The rain was apparently salty and bitter that day – strangely they tasted like tears, according to a few mortal folk who happened to taste the rain in their mouths while outdoors. A few had heard cries of anguish in the wind, but only dismissed them as a natural phenomena as the winds were so strong.

Then the pain became unbearable for him, and it was night time at the Niagara Falls that he made his decision to end it all. He gripped the rails as he overlooked the massive waterfall, now illuminated by colored lights giving the water magical hues of blue, green, purple, and gold.

He closed his green eyes that were once vibrant with life and happiness, but now they were only empty and filled with the never ending void of despair and deep sadness.

_'To Elysium, I go...'_ He thought as he jumped from the safety rails and into a fifty one meter dive into the falls.

And from then on, not a single soul would hear from Percy Jackson again.

–

A girl would watch as he would make the grand jump. She could feel all the sadness tearing at his heart...and it also tore at hers too. As she heard the splash, the full moon shone brightly and turned blue for a moment. Blue as the waffles and cookies his mother would make for him and blue as the girl's eyes. She lingered at the scene before turning to a silver door and stepping through. The door vanished behind her as she stepped through and into her sanctuary. The moon returned to its pearly white soon after.

**Chapter 1: Maid of the Mist**

Only a few knew of the Niagara's power. The falls were capable of producing mass amounts of mist per second. This mist wasn't ordinary however, for one of its magical properties was the ability to bend the perception of mortal beings and when the gods had migrated to North America, they were astonished by the beauty of the falls and the natural production of the Mist. The Olympians themselves had to produce their own mist with their own essences and when they stumbled upon the Niagara, they immediately took the opportunity to claim the Falls in order to harvest this natural mist. Not only was the Niagara a great source of Mist, but it was also capable of powering large cities thanks to the huge hydro-electric plants located there and it was a great source of income for Olympus in order for finance their operations.

As mortals flocked to the natural wonder, its popularity rose until it was off the charts. In order to keep the falls as pristine as possible, the Olympians employed a being and named her the "Maid of the Mist." The Maid of the Mist's responsibility was to maintain the well-being of the falls and to ensure that none would tamper with its magical power.

As with all objects of high-value, there were those who wanted to control the Falls to aid in their ultimate goal for domination. . .

. . .Khione was one such prospector.

The snow goddess studied the waters from the observation deck. Several pamphlets were given to her by a young tourist guide who made the mistake of staring at her for a second too long and ended up sporting a collection of bruises all over his now battered body which now lay in a ditch near the parking lot.

Khione could breathe in the mist of the waters, it felt refreshing and cooled her already hot-head.

"Feels nice, doesn't it?" A girl beside her spoke. Khione turned her eyes to the blonde-haired Caucasian teenage girl beside her. She was carrying a tablet in the crook her arm and seemed to be working on a novel. She was dressed in a black t-shirt with blue paint splatters all over it and slim blue jeans. Her square blue framed glasses were pushed up against the bridge of her nose, and her eyes were a deep sapphire blue – they contained an abundance of energy and contentment as if she were happy with the way her life was right now. Her straight hair was loose, it flowed down to her shoulders and just past her shoulder blades.

To Khione, she was just another mortal.

"I come here all the time, just to admire the whole thing. I'm using this place as a setting in one of my stories right now actually."

Khione pretended to display interest. "Oh? Really?"

The girl nodded, "Yup. It's about a boy who finds out he has a magical power. He ends up causing a ruckus at a school field trip to the history museum in town, and all of a sudden, his algebra teacher decides to attack him and transforms into a monster." She waved her hands around and even growled. "Luckily his Latin teacher was there to see the whole thing. And what does his Latin teacher do? He tosses the main character a ballpoint pen, which turns out to be a _celestial bronze sword._"

Alarm bells rang inside Khione's head and before she knew it, there was a bright flash and she found herself on the ground with the teenager pinning her down. Khione tried to struggle, but with every breath she took in, her strength seemed to decline. It wasn't long before she stopped, feeling dizzy and exhausted.

"Turns out the boy was a natural with the sword. By the time he was seventeen, he had already participated in two wars and was the key asset in the Olympians' victory versus the Titans and the Giants."

_Clink! _The snap of celestial bronze cuffs was followed by the sudden constriction of her wrists. The girl continued on.

"Lord Zeus had just issued a bounty on your head, Khione. Once he was aware of your disappearance from Greece, he had immediately issued a hunt for you." The girl whispered into her ear. Khione turned her head to look at her captor, her eyes widened in shock at the sight before her.

The girl was now dressed in white garments showing off a little of her athletic build; thin and flexible armor across her torso and a miniskirt with a hooded mantle/cape combo to top it all off. Patterns of gold swirls were laced at the edge of the fabrics. Her feet were protected with pointy leather boots, and Olympian Silver armlets covered her arms and wrist, leaving her hands open. She carried a blue quiver across her back and it was full of arrows of an uncountable quantity

She wasn't a Hunter. No, she was the very being who protected the Falls for the Olympians – the Maid of the Mist.

But it wasn't _what_ the girl was that shocked Khione, it was _who_ the girl was that surprised her.

"How are you still in existence? I thought you faded a long time ago!" Khione sputtered out. "And what are you doing siding with the Olympians!? Where were you during the Second Titan War?"

The Maid's eyes narrowed. Without a reply, she lifted up Khione by her arm and dragged her to her feet. She was about to flash her to the Throne Room when a voice stopped her.

"I'll take her off your hands for you, sister." Artemis said from the entrance. Her face brightened up as she regarded the newly arrived goddess and her assembled hunters.

She gave off a soft laugh, "I knew you'd be stopping by."

Artemis shook her head, meaning that now wasn't the perfect time. The maid cocked her head in curiosity, something serious must've happened for her to be like this. She handed Khione off to the Hunters without further delay, seeing that Artemis seemed a little rushed right now.

"Sorry, Olympus is in an uproar right now. We've got to return as soon as possible." Artemis said, "I'll come again when I get the chance."

She nodded. "Yes, of course. I've a special discount on a group tour that came out just recently, something for the Hunters to enjoy and relax to."

Artemis paused for a second, considering it. She and the Hunters needed some relief, especially since what had happened right after the Giant War. Thalia wasn't the same anymore, not since her cousin had disappeared, and she was quiet and down most of the time. The goddess figured a break would be necessary for the weekend coming up.

She nodded, "I'll come back to you, we'll talk about that later." She said, not wanting to pass up the offer. Artemis took custody over Khione and flashed off to Olympus. The Maid sighed to herself as she waved her hand to the air. A silver door materialized and she stepped through and into her sanctuary.

A brilliant night sky filled with vivid colors met her eyes. A full moon shone down upon a silver throne situated on a small island in the center of a lake. The lake itself was illuminated with blue luminescent crystals, giving the lake a cerulean glow. An oak forest surrounded the lake, but it was silent and devoid of life at the present, though the trees were very healthy.

Finally, to complete the fantasy setting was a raven haired teenager who was currently in a deep slumber on a twin sized bed next to the throne.

She sat down at her throne and watched his chest rise and fall in a rhythm. His face was peaceful and free of stress, well at least for now. His pen was in his hand, but he gripped it like a sword as if he were ready to jump out and pounce on an unsuspecting foe.

Three days had passed since Percy Jackson jumped off of the Niagara Falls, and it was two days since she had found his broken but breathing form at the bottom of the river. Percy hadn't showed any signs waking yet, but she knew it would be soon before he awoke.

Percy

The feeling of sunshine burning through his eyelids caused him to grumble in his sleep and shift around in his bed.

"Perseus, it's time to rise and shine." A girl's voice called out to him. He turned over and covered his head.

"Mnnng, five more minutes mom..." he mumbled out. The voice giggled and his eyes snapped open. He threw the covers off and leapt out of bed...into the water!? Percy gasped underwater as he tried to get his bearings straight. His head broke the surface of the lake and he took in his surroundings.

_Trees. Lake. Shore. Bed!? _No, this wasn't the Underworld...it was something else entirely. It seemed to be the interior of a temple; Percy gulped, it looked similar to the Temple of Artemis, minus the clear blue lake.

"Care to join me?" There was her voice again! Percy turned his head and spotted a girl seated on her throne. She seemed to be dressed in some variation of the Hunter's outfit, yet this one was white and much more graceful in comparison. Her eyes contained a light that fascinated Percy, but considering that her clothing resembled the male-hating Hunters, his eyes only lingered for a second.

Percy swam over and sat on the bed he had slept in. Naturally, he had a lot of questions to ask, but it would be better to satisfy his stomach, with felt like the void itself right now. The girl held out a tub of sushi with a smile. Percy felt sick to his stomach and covered his mouth, holding back the fluids that threaten to splurge out of his mouth. She frowned, and reached over to the table beside her, offering him a tray of warm cinnamon rolls which he gladly accepted which a nod.

Percy proceeded to shove them into his mouth and chew. Tears collected at the corner of his eyes as he experienced a bliss he hadn't felt in a long time, it made him feel warm on the inside. A bowl of frosted Demigod-O's (Complete with essential vitamins and minerals and whole grains to start off your demigod day!) and a cup of chocolate milk soon followed afterwards.

"Thanks for that. I don't think I've eaten in a while." Percy said to her. Then he got straight to the point: "Who are you? "

"Ah, the million dollar question!" She stood up from her throne and cleared up the food with a wave of her hand. "I am your faithful servant and companion, the Titaness of the Moon and Maid of the Mist, Selene." Selene bowed with a hand crossing her chest.

"Selene..." Percy echoed under his breath, his eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement, "But I was told you faded a long time ago. The Romans -"

"-Had a budget cut and downsized on their prayers?" She finished for him. "Percy, the lack of prayers doesn't necessarily mean you fade away. The power and existence of a deity revolves around the state of their domain, those who have domains that are vital to mortals and its population, well they can never really fade away unless forced to.

Artemis took over for me when she was growing up, because Zeus wished for her to join the council and to join the council, you had to have a pretty big domain. I granted her the power of the moon and childbirth to help her out and instead, I wandered around the world and avoided the majority of the conflicts the gods had. I didn't want to be dragged into it, so I created my temple here.

I found this wonder during one of my voyages with the Moon and it was one of the first places I went to after being relieved of my duties."

Selene paused for a moment to let it all sink into Percy's head. She could see his intelligence processing all that she had said. He nodded and Selene continued.

"I sensed the fire of civilization migrate here, and the day after the gods set up the new Mt. Olympus, the Olympians had come across the Niagara. They needed someone to keep watch over it, Zeus would've chosen one of the demigods, but I stepped up since it was my home. I was assigned the duties and responsibilities as Maid of the Mist and with this new title, I've defended the Falls since the Colonial Age here in America. I even got a new uniform and a new appearance." Selene laughed lightheartedly.

"Now Percy, you may not know thia, but the waters of the Niagara and are a huge asset to Olympus. Control over the Falls, the Great Lakes, and the Ohio River Valley has been the grounds for war between foreign invaders and the Olympians for ages. These waters flow with potent magic and they also produce the Mist that shrouds the eyes of mortals." She hesitated before saying the next bit. "I was there when you jumped into the Falls with the intention of taking your own life. I know about your deeds, Hephaestus TV runs and reruns their special episodes about you and just recently they broadcasted the Giant War in HD Pay Per View. What I wish to know is..." Her eyes began to well up with tears.

"...Why such an accomplished hero such as yourself would be so selfish, why would he choose to hurt the feelings of others with his own death?"

This struck Percy and he looked down at his hands, thinking back to that night. He lost control over the rational side of him and acted upon his emotions.

"It was because of _her..._" He said with a bitter taste in his mouth.

**A/N: Phew! Thank you for choosing to read Once in a Blue Moon! Now, this won't be a Pertemis, Perlia, Perzoe, Percabeth, or Percy x (insert lover) story...unless it were harem, so don't expect Percy to hook up with one of our lovely Huntresses/or Goddess. I'd like to hear (read) your thoughts on the writing so far or any ideas you may have, so please review the story. Chaos may or may not play a role in this story, I'm still considering using him to give Percy the "Guardian of Earth" role...Or maybe I can use Selene for that, heck I dunno. XD**

**Romance...still open ended on that – Adventure, story telling, and plot comes before romance in my opinion. So we'll take it slow and build it up. I'm highly biased to pairing Selene and Percy together (Selper/Perlene, whatevs you wanna call it).**

**Next chapter is gonna come out next week, so stay tuned folks! The chapter will hopefully straighten out a few loose ends this chapter created and answer a few questions several of you may have.**


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